Daniels Run Elementary School

Posted: January 25, 2026

I was a student at Daniels Run last year, and I would not recommend sending your kids here. I was bullied by the other students after being there for less than a month. My Mother contacted the school about the bullying, but they barely stepped in. I was isolated most of my sixth grade year, as the teachers did nothing to stop the endless bullying. The teachers here act like they hate children, and the administrators aren't much better. I was punished multiple times for simply standing up for myself, and I was even given lunch detention for getting up at lunch to throw away my trash. This school also has a zero tolerance policy for fighting, which is good in theory, but when I face punched in the face, and I pushed the kid back, I was sent to the office. Don't throw away what should be an experience that shapes your who your kids will be by sending your them here.

Posted: January 25, 2026

Posted: January 25, 2026

Posted: January 25, 2026

Posted: January 25, 2026

Posted: January 25, 2026

Posted: January 25, 2026

Posted: January 25, 2026

Posted: June 19, 2023

Posted: June 19, 2023

Posted: June 19, 2023

Posted: June 19, 2023

Posted: June 19, 2023

Posted: June 19, 2023

Posted: June 19, 2023

Posted: June 19, 2023

My daugther just completed 6th grade at Daniel's Run Elementary. She was there for her entire Elementary School education and I can honestly say that Daniel's Run has gone downhill over the past 5 years since the new principal arrived.Earlier on it seemed like the school was more devoted to engaging the kids' curiosity and helping them grow into upstanding citizens. The new principal instead seems to be focused on SOL scores and does nothing to keep the school safe or follow the guidelines on bullying. My daughter has been bullied all of this year by 3 6th grade boys and the most the school would do is talk to the boys and ask them to stop. There was no punishment, the parents were not talked to as far as I am aware, and there was no interaction even when the ringleader beat up a 5th grade boy. Apparently, the goal is to be able to keep their attendence numbers up and by expelling these kids, that would lower their numbers. I am not the only one that has had issues with the principal. If a kid is having trouble learning at the school, he provides no assistance so many parents are pulling their kids out to move them to private schools, which is another way they are keeping their SOL scores up.

Posted: August 5, 2022

My son is about to start his 5th year at DRS and my daughter her 4th, both started in kindergarten. We could not be happier with DRES. When choosing a neighborhood the scores shown for DRES were concerning, but the overall reviews and the diversity at the school overcame my trepidation.

My son started off with an IEP for an early speech delay. He has now graduated out of his IEP and into a 504 plan. At every IEP meeting I felt my opinion was valued and that the staff really cared about my son's progress. He is now fully caught up with his peers!

My daughter is now heading into the advanced academics program this year, so we look forward to hearing all about it from her. Both kids absolutely love the "innovation space" and the science labs.

Posted: August 5, 2022

Posted: August 5, 2022

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Posted: March 17, 2022

My daughter is very happy and has a wonderful, caring teacher. She’s learned so much, and all of us feel supported.

Posted: March 17, 2022

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Posted: January 9, 2021

Posted: January 9, 2021

Posted: January 9, 2021

Posted: January 9, 2021

Posted: January 9, 2021

Posted: January 9, 2021

Posted: January 9, 2021

Posted: January 9, 2021

Daniels Run is an excellent school with a supportive environment. The assertion in the rating that students from minority groups and students with disabilities are not making sufficient year to year progress is incorrect. Daniels Run received the highest possible rating in this category from the Virginia Department of Education. The Daniels Run rating on this site is outdated and inaccurate. It needs to be updated to reflect the current situation of the school. The teachers are caring and highly invested in students' success.

Posted: February 23, 2020

Posted: February 23, 2020

Posted: February 23, 2020

Posted: February 23, 2020

Posted: February 23, 2020

Posted: February 23, 2020

Posted: February 23, 2020

Daniels Run clearly does not care about test scores, as the ranking is far below average for Fairfax County. I'm not a stickler for test scores myself, but we need some focus on ensuring kids are learning at a reasonable pace, especially in Kindergarten. Kindergarten at this school is not ideal, and I wish I moved out beforehand.

Posted: August 11, 2019

Posted: August 11, 2019

Posted: August 11, 2019

Posted: August 11, 2019

Posted: August 11, 2019

Posted: August 11, 2019

Posted: August 11, 2019

Daniels Run cares about developing the whole child, not just test scores. The sense of community is strong and parents are active and welcome in the school. The school serves a diverse population of students and does it well. Highly recommend.

Posted: February 28, 2018

Posted: February 28, 2018

Posted: February 28, 2018

Posted: February 28, 2018

Posted: February 28, 2018

Posted: February 28, 2018

Posted: February 28, 2018

my daughter went to K for a half year her. during that time, she was punched in the eye by some autism bigger kid in the hallway, and get bite at. also we tried to switch teacher because the teacher she had has a newborn and was kind stressed out and will punish kids by having them stand alone and not participate or play. that's the worst punishment by k schoolers. tried to intervene by taking to principal but wasn't helpful. he just said wait and see. too bad i have to move just to have my daughter in a healthy supportive school environment. also one of the street crossing to school wasn't safe. i told the city council install a solar crosswalk light but they told me to wait for a neighborhood plan study. crosswalk light for kids is a no brainer to me.

Posted: June 9, 2017

Posted: June 9, 2017

Posted: June 9, 2017

Posted: June 9, 2017

Posted: June 9, 2017

Posted: June 9, 2017

Posted: June 9, 2017

Our son started in 2nd grade at this school and we are very happy with his experience. I relied a great deal on this website when looking for a house so I wanted to make sure to leave a positive review about Daniels Run. I don't believe the lower score properly reflects the school. Because of Fairfax County's gifted and talented program many of the brightest children in a particularly school may qualify to move to the nearest gifted & talented elementary school (for this area is it Mosby Woods). That pulls the tests scores up for Mosby Woods and down for Daniels Run. But that does not reflect the overall school and the education the children receive. We have been very happy with our son's experience. The principal is wonderful and the school offers many enriching classes in additions to the regular curriculum -- they have a wonderful art teacher, an Innovation Space (sort of like a Maker space where the children tinker and learn how to make things), Environmental education, and music. The school is very diverse and the faculty work hard to be welcoming to all cultures. We were please to learn that the 2nd grade teachers did not assign daily homework but instead asked parents to spend time reading with their children every night. We fill out a chart to track our reading hours. There is optional homework that parents can have their children do if they choose to. Daily homework in our son's previous school was challenging to finish since he was young and after the school day was over just wanted to play. I really recommend this school and encourage all parents who are looking at schools to 1) go to the school in person to check it out and 2) meet the principal. I've learned that it's ALL about the principal. A great principal is the leader that will really make for a great school environment.

Posted: May 31, 2017

Posted: May 31, 2017

Posted: May 31, 2017

Posted: May 31, 2017

Posted: May 31, 2017

Posted: May 31, 2017

Posted: May 31, 2017

We have been a DRES family since 2014 and my children absolutely love it (well as much as a child loves school). We love the teachers, more importantly we love the teaching teams within each grade. They ensure that no matter which teacher you get, the experience should be about the same. You can just tell that the teachers that are there, want to be there. They are having fun, and that shows with the kids as well.

Posted: January 5, 2017

Daniels Run has supportive, engaged, and caring teachers, staff, and administration. It's a school where they focus on the whole student, not just their "academic" self. Students are taught to be critical thinkers through innovative programs and strategies.

Posted: January 5, 2017

Posted: January 5, 2017

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Posted: July 6, 2016

Posted: July 6, 2016

Posted: July 6, 2016

Posted: July 6, 2016

My 2 boys have loved their first year at Daniels Run. One was K and one was in 4th grade. They love their teachers, and the whole experience. My only complaint is that they are lacking afterschool sports. There is a girls basketball team, but no boys team. And a running group and that's it. I would love some more options for sports.

Posted: November 29, 2014

This school is GREAT! They are involved in the community. Teachers communicate well with parents. I couldn't be more happier.

Posted: November 15, 2014

We are extremely happy with Daniels Run Elementary. My daughter is in first grade there and I am always impressed with the staff, curriculum and culture of the school. I don't have any of the complaints I hear from moms with kid in other schools. No bullying problems, no drama, everyone is happy to be there.

Posted: September 29, 2014

I continue to be impressed by Daniels Run. The Principal, teachers, and community make it a great school.

Posted: June 24, 2014

The teachers, staff, and administrators are excellent . They really care for the students and have best intentions.

Posted: January 6, 2014

As a military family, we chose Northern Virginia among many options due to the reputation of the schools. DRES absolutely met our expectations. Our son attended 4th & 5th grade ('11-'13) & felt like one of the long-tenured members of the community from his first day. The Administration, Faculty, Staff and Parents have an excellent working relationship. While I can't speak for every family, we felt like our son was in a nurturing environment where he could grow as a student and as a person. His 5th grade teacher- who was very new - did an AMAZING job looking after him during my deployment, keeping us informed of how he was doing when mom and dad weren't around. The breadth and depth of academic and extra-circular activities are remarkable, and we are thankful to have had the opportunity to be part of the DRES community. Our only complaint is that there isn't an option for after-school programs on Mondays, which is a problem for working parents because school lets out very early on Monday. Fortunately we had enough flexibility in our schedules to account for this, but it is something of which you should be aware if your are moving to the area.

Posted: June 29, 2013

My daughter just finished her first year as a Fourth Grader at Daniels Run. She immediately felt like she was part of the community. The new administration this year was great. The Principal and Assistant Principal quickly learned student's names, dressed up crazy for spirit days, and were committed to helping each student learn. The teachers are a caring team who work together to make things happen.

Posted: April 15, 2013

My son has attended Daniels Run since 2008. He's loved this school from the moment he stepped through the doors. He's had excellent teachers, a wonderful supportive staff, and everyone treats him well. All of the teachers at Daniels Run are amazing, and that includes all the resource teachers (Physical Education, Art, Languages). The staff in the office is welcoming and helpful. They go out of their way to make things work. The Principal and Vice Principal are innovative and engaged. They stress student involvement, parent involvement, and responsibility. I was lucky to move into an area that gave my child such a wonderful start to his education. I'm a proud DRE parent.

Posted: January 9, 2013

I really had a bad experience with my oldest son, a lot of issues, he was attending this school x3 years it was awful they used to call me every single day complaining about my child, last time I had a meeting they wanted me to take my child to evaluate him for ADHD of course as apparent was so bad I decided to move my two kids to other school St Leo is the Great school Religion Math and Science are better I'm really doing something fabulous, they are happy they feel safe

Posted: January 4, 2013

My daughter has attended Daniels Run since 2008. During that time, she has received the first-class education afforded by Fairfax County Public Schools in a state of the art building that is owned and maintained by the City of Fairfax. The office staff is exceptional. Although DR is a larger school, I have always felt welcome and included as a parent. The leadership is forward-thinking. This year they launched a blog and a facebook page. Our daughter was offered a space in the GT program at Mosby Woods, but she refused to leave her school. All school events are highly attended--from International Night to the Fall Ball, parents are involved and supportive. DR is a great community of learning and friendship!